Within His Soul (Ciel Phantomhive x OC fanfiction 黒執事)

Part 4, Ciel Phantomhive

Before long, Erin was inside her mansion, stretched out on a long burgundy cushion, right by her favorite view of the entire front yard of the Midford manor. The high arching window looked out beyond the crystal clear fountains and plentiful flowers, over pine trees and to the gates, leading back out of the estate. She glanced over at the cat perched on the other far end of the cushion, aware of it watching her. After a quick peek, Erin checked that the cat was indeed a boy, and decided to name him Cloud, like the dusty gray clouds that hovered in the sky when she first came across him. Cloud nestled up, content with his new surroundings, and quickly dozed off into a light sleep. Typical cat, Erin thought, as she pulled out the Phantomhive ring once more. Here, she was safe in her manor and if she blacked out again, she wouldn't be abducted by any creepy man again. At least....that's what Erin hoped. Hesitantly slipping the cold metal back on her thumb, Erin closed her eyes and waited. Instead, nothing happened, and she opened her eyes surprised. Instead she tried her other thumb, and still, silence. Erin suddenly sat up, disrupting the cat, scanning the ring. Had she been hallucinating, or did the flashbacks only happen at the cathedral? A curt voice snapped Erin out of her reverie, and she gasped.

"What are you doing with my ring?" The cultured voice asked, cold and clipped. In front of Erin floated a misty spirit of pale teal, with multicolored eyes, one a haunting violet and the other a piercing cerulean. His hair was mussed slightly and slate colored with that same frosty tint of teal. He had a petite body and dainty limbs, his legs suspended in mid air as a silvery mist shimmered all around him. That porcelain face of his was refined and beautiful, with boyish cheeks and somewhat of a pout. His arms were crossed, and lodged in his chest was a flickering wisp of deep Royal blue, like the color of the Phantomhive ring; shifting and swirling with mesmerizing energy. Erin cold only stare, her emerald eyes wide with shock and fear. "Well, don't just sit there, answer me." Ciel grew annoyed, his face upturning into that of irritation. His patience and temper were short, just like that of a noble. Erin looked back down at the ring, now drained of all color and essence. It was just an empty shell for...this boy's soul? "O-oh...I'm terribly sorry, here, it's yours, isn't it?" Erin warily handed out the ring, and the boy's face suddenly softened into that of sadness. "Lizzy...?" Ciel's voice was heart wrenching suddenly, tainted with nostalgia. Erin slowly shook her head. "No...Elizabeth is my ancestor. My name is Erin, Erin Bethany Rose Midford." Erin politely held out her hand, only to pull it back when she realized a spirit couldn't very well shake hands. Ciel blinked, as if shaken awake, and nodded. "Ah. I see. How do you do Erin, my name is Ciel Phantomhive." And the misty form bowed from years of practice, suddenly elegant and graceful, nobility radiating off of him. He wore a dashing tunic that was woven with expensive black thread, definitely something that someone of his title in the Victorian Era would wear. Erin still questioned why she wasn't as freaked out as she ought to be. A century old ghost was hovering right in front of her, and they were having a conversation! "Why are you doing that?" Ciel tilted his head, and Erin suddenly realized she was pinching her arm to see if she was dreaming. Pulling her hand away, she was suddenly flooded with curiosity."Sorry...but how did you get here?" Erin asked in a small voice. "Well, it's a long story, so it's a good thing you're sitting down." Ciel stated, and that's when he began.

"That ring that you were holding was the counterpart to my trapped soul. The other is within a demon, but judging by you reading all my memories, I'm sure you already know as much. When you first found my ring, I was trapped in it, and when you put it on I was surprised and unable to keep you from traveling inside of my mind. However, the second time you wore it I was prepared, and channeled all my energy into becoming free. Now, here I am, in my free half-soul form. If I had my other half, I would be human and living again." And with that Ciel looked at the ring, the ring he had worn for so long. "I guess Sebastian didn't know that my other half would be still trapped in there..." Ciel sighed. Erin perked up at the name. "Sebastian? Was that your butler's name?" "Yes, it was the name I had given to him in the terms of our contract, any other questions?" Erin couldn't help herself. "Just...where are you going to go now?" Ciel's eyes widened, and then he gave a slight roll of his shoulders. "Well, since I can go to neither heaven nor hell, I am chained to this Earth, lest I find my other half of my soul. But for now, you're the only one who knows about me. The world I know is dead and gone, and Sebastian is probably off somewhere else in the world as a demon in another contract; who knows?" Ciel shifted suddenly, looking a tad uncomfortable. "The Midfords are the only ones I know about who are left...so would it be okay if I...you know..?" Ciel's face scrunched up in concentration, and Erin gave a half smile at the thought of him not being used to actually asking permission. "Sure. But you'll have to stay out of sight around my parents and the servants, nothing like a dead Earl coming back to life and haunting his fiancée's mansion." Erin pointed out. Ciel gave a dashing smile then, and with a sudden flourish of his arm he dissolved into the air, invisible to the naked eye. "Aha, but I can do this." And the sound of his melodic voice suddenly emanated from the now cerulean ring on Erin's thumb. Erin gasped, and a curt laugh was given, before Ciel's spirit form appeared again. "I can transfer to objects with spiritual meaning to me." Ciel explained, and Erin nodded as she started dumbfounded at the now dull and lifeless ring. "So I was wearing you on my thumb that whole time?" Erin asked, amazed, and Ciel nodded. "It really is amazing how much you resemble Lizzy." Ciel pointed out, and Erin suddenly blushed. "This means that if Lizzy was your cousin, we're related right?" Ciel then nodded. "By a means, yes. But very distantly." And Ciel suddenly had a troubled look on his face. "What..? What is it?!" Erin asked frantically and stood, as Ciel doubled over and clutched his right eye. He was panting and his mist wavered, as he gasped for air. "He's...coming.." And with that Ciel suddenly dispersed like mist, and back into the ring. Erin clutched the ring tightly and asked to herself silently who "He" might be.